We review VPNs independently, but we may earn commissions if you buy a VPN via our links.

PrivadoVPN Review

PrivadoVPN's app on desktop

Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more.

Fact-checked by JP JonesAdditional Testing by David Hughes

Our Verdict

7.5/10
How is this calculated?

We calculate the VPN service’s Overall Rating by combining the ratings of several testing categories. Each category is weighted as follows:

  • Privacy & Logging Policy: 20%
  • Speed: 20%
  • Security & Technical Features: 15%
  • Streaming: 15%
  • Ease of Use: 10%
  • Torrenting: 5%
  • Server Locations: 5%
  • Bypassing Web Censorship: 5%
  • Customer Support: 5%

Learn more by reading our VPN testing and review methodology.

PrivadoVPN has an impressive free version, but the premium version is disappointing and doesn’t excel in any single area. Despite its fast speeds and streaming capabilities, it’s overpriced and it lacks additional security features and server locations compared to competing VPN services. Both versions are safe to use, but only the free version is 100% worth it.

Ranked #20 out of 61 VPNs

PrivadoVPN Category Ratings

  • 8.8/10
  • 6.9/10
  • 6.4/10
  • 8.7/10
  • 7.7/10
  • 8.0/10
  • 6.5/10
  • 7.7/10
  • 6.0/10
  • 5.0/10

PrivadoVPN Pros & Cons

  • Unblocks US Netflix & other streaming sites
  • Fast download speeds
  • Based in privacy-friendly Switzerland
  • P2P & SOCKS5 support
  • Best free VPN for streaming
  • Safe free version

  • No audits or transparency reports
  • No advanced technical features
  • Free data has to be manually refreshed
  • No kill switch on iOS
  • Expensive subscription plans

Why Trust Us?

We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.

PrivadoVPN is a relative newcomer to the VPN market, released in 2019 and owned by Privado Networks AG out of Zug, Switzerland. It’s gaining popularity thanks to its impressive free version, but there’s a premium version that’s supposed to be even better.

In this review of PrivadoVPN and PrivadoVPN Free, we test both versions to see if they’re safe to use, if they work with geo-restricted streaming services, and if they’re worth your time.

PrivadoVPN Key Data

 Paid
Free
Data CapUnlimited10GB
Download Speed94Mbps96Mbps
Logging PolicyNo Identifying DataNo Identifying Data
Data LeaksNoNo
JurisdictionSwitzerland (Privacy Haven)Switzerland (Privacy Haven)
Servers32214
IP AddressesNot disclosedNot disclosed
Countries with Servers4411
US NetflixYesYes
TorrentingUnlimitedUnlimited
Simultaneous Connections101
Works In ChinaYesYes
SupportLive ChatLive Chat
Cheapest Price$4.99/mo over 12 MonthsFree
Money-Back Guarantee30-day Money-Back Guarantee-
Official WebsitePrivadoVPN.com

Privacy & Logging Policy

Safe Privacy Policy & Jurisdiction, But Could Be Improved

6.4/10
How is this calculated?

We analyze and dissect the VPN service’s logging and privacy policy. A VPN should never log and store:

  • Your real IP address
  • Connection timestamps
  • DNS requests

Headquarters outside of 14 Eyes or EU jurisdictions are also preferable.

PrivadoVPN has a reasonable privacy policy, and it does not log any sensitive or personally-identifying data. It’s also based in Switzerland, which is a safe jurisdiction for privacy. However, it only achieves a rating of 6.4/10 as it still logs your individual bandwidth usage and device information. The VPN has also made no effort to evidence its logging policy claims, either through an independent audit, transparency reports, or a warrant canary.

Ranked #28 out of 61 VPNs for Privacy & Logging Policy

Here’s a table summarizing the information that PrivadoVPN logs:

Data TypeLogged by PrivadoVPN
Account InformationYes
Browsing ActivityNo
Date of Last ConnectionNo
Device InformationYes
DNS QueriesNo
Individual Bandwidth UsageYes
Individual Connection TimestampsNo
ISPNo
Number of Simultaneous ConnectionsNo
Originating IP AddressNo
VPN Server IPNo
VPN Server LocationNo

You can read PrivadoVPN’s privacy policy in full on its website.

PrivadoVPN only collects a small amount of information, and none of it is identifiable. It doesn’t log any sensitive data, such as your IP address or the websites you visit.

However, this is not a no-logs privacy policy, and the data it collects appears to be stored indefinitely. VPNs like Private Internet Access maintain an excellent service without storing any information at all.

PrivadoVPN loses points in our privacy assessment because it’s a relative newcomer to the VPN market and it’s not yet done enough to evidence its privacy claims and build user trust.

PrivadoVPN could fix this by commissioning an independent audit into its privacy policy. It could also release regular transparency reports that detail the legal requests it receives and how it responds to them. A warrant canary would be useful, too.

Is PrivadoVPN Trustworthy?

The company behind PrivadoVPN is legitimate and we like that it’s based in Switzerland, which has no data retention laws and respects consumer privacy. It is not a member of the European Union, so it doesn’t abide by the Data Retention Directive, either.

Moreover, Switzerland has no role in the Five Eyes or 14 Eyes alliances, or any other anti-privacy intelligence-sharing agreements. In other words, PrivadoVPN is under no legal obligation to store or share the data of its users.

For this reason, we think PrivadoVPN is trustworthy. However, there is no information about the company behind PrivadoVPN. We want PrivadoVPN to build further trust by releasing transparency reports and commissioning audits of its logging policy.

Streaming

Free & Paid Versions Unblock US Netflix

8.8/10
How is this calculated?

This rating is calculated by how many different streaming services and regional content libraries the VPN can unblock, and how consistently it can access them.

We test access to Netflix, Disney+, Max, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and many more platforms on a weekly basis.

PrivadoVPN unblocks every major streaming site, including US Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu. The free version performs equally well in our streaming tests, and is the best free VPN for US Netflix. However, access to BBC iPlayer and ITVX is inconsistent on both versions. Even when activated, not all of PrivadoVPN’s servers work.

Ranked #14 out of 61 VPNs for Streaming

We tested PrivadoVPN Pro and PrivadoVPN Free with every major international streaming site. Here’s a list of popular streaming platforms that each version of PrivadoVPN currently unblocks:

Streaming PlatformPrivadoVPN PremiumPrivadoVPN Free
Amazon Prime VideoYesYes
BBC iPlayerNoNo
Channel 4YesYes
Disney+YesYes
Hotstar IndiaNoNo
HuluYesYes
ITVXNoNo
MaxYesYes
Netflix USYesYes

PrivadoVPN Paid & Free Works with US Netflix

Both versions of PrivadoVPN can unblock Netflix US Netflix from anywhere. According to our recent tests, the paid version also unblocks Netflix in France, Israel, Turkey, and the UK.

PrivadoVPN Unblocking US Netflix

PrivadoVPN works with US Netflix and more.

This is nowhere near as many Netflix libraries as similar VPNs can access — Windscribe Free unblocks 5, for example. Failing to access Japanese Netflix is also disappointing, but reliable access to the US region is a big perk.

This is especially the case for PrivadoVPN Free, which is one of the few free VPNs to unblock Netflix and the only free VPN that can access US Netflix on desktop devices.

However, the amount of time you can stream with PrivadoVPN Free is heavily restricted by its 10GB monthly data cap.

Works with HBO Max, Disney+ & Hulu

Both the paid and free version of PrivadoVPN also work to unblock US streaming services like HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and US Amazon Prime Video.

PrivadoVPN Free HBO Max Test

PrivadoVPN Free unblocks HBO Max and more georestricted streaming sites.

Because of its success unblocking US Netflix and other geo-blocked sites, PrivadoVPN is the best free VPN for streaming overall, with Windscribe Free a close second.

BBC iPlayer Access Is Inconsistent

PrivadoVPN didn’t unblock BBC iPlayer on its Manchester server, but it did work on its London server – for a while. Coming back to test it again shortly afterward, our real location was detected by the BBC’s blocking technology.

PrivadoVPN BBC iPlayer Test

BBC iPlayer detected that we were using PrivadoVPN to watch British TV.

PrivadoVPN also failed to access ITVX. However, watching Channel 4 from abroad was far more successful, including when using PrivadoVPN Free. Overall, fans of British TV should choose a UK VPN that unblocks all British streaming sites, instead.

Speed

Fast Local & International Download Speeds

8.7/10
How is this calculated?

We calculate the VPN’s speed rating using our download speeds, upload speeds, and ping (latency) measurements.

We regularly test the VPN’s local and international speeds using a dedicated 100Mbps internet connection in New York, USA.

Both versions of PrivadoVPN are very fast. We recorded a speed loss of only 8% on same-country connections. Long-distance connections are also fast; we only lost 10% of our normal speed speed connecting to the UK, despite 3,500 miles of distance. However, PrivadoVPN still doesn’t match the fastest VPNs like Hotspot Shield. Based on this data, PrivadoVPN scores 8.7 in our speed evaluation.

Ranked #16 out of 61 VPNs for Speed

We tested PrivadoVPN’s average speeds when connecting to servers on six continents Here are the results for PrivadoVPN Premium in full:

These results show that PrivadoVPN performs very well connecting to any part of the globe. On local connections, our speed loss was marginal at just 8%.

Its international speeds are naturally slower, but still more than enough for Full HD streaming, video calling, and even gaming.

For example, connecting to Australia we picked up speeds of 82Mbps despite over 10,000 miles of geographical distance.

PrivadoVPN Free Is Faster than the Pro Version

PrivadoVPN Free performs just as well — and sometimes better — than the paid version in our VPN speed tests.

We recorded local average connection speeds of 96Mbps, which is actually better than the pro version.

Similarly, its Germany connection speeds were faster compared to the Pro version, and its long-distance UK speed were similar at 89Mbps.

This means that PrivadoVPN does not throttle its free servers like other free VPNs do, such as Hide.me Free.

While this is excellent for users of the free version, paid users might feel short-changed by this.

Server Locations

Small Server Network

7.7/10
How is this calculated?

The key factor for calculating this rating is the global spread and coverage of the VPN’s server network.

We also consider the total number of servers, the number of city-level servers, and the number of IP addresses available.

PrivadoVPN has a physical server network covering 44 countries, with several city-level options available. This is a good number, but it’s small in comparison to top-rated VPN services. The average number among top-tier VPNs is 50, and the very best offer IP addresses in over 100 countries. Furthermore, PrivadoVPN is limited by the small number of individual servers that make up its entire network — only 322 servers in total.

Ranked #23 out of 61 VPNs for Server Locations

Globe with a blue flag
44 Countries
Image of a city landscape
100 Cities
Image of a pink marker
Undisclosed number of IP Addresses

PrivadoVPN has servers located in these regions:

Continent Number of Countries
Europe 24
Asia 12
South America 2
North America 3
Africa 1
Oceania 2

PrivadoVPN’s premium server network caters heavily to European countries, with only one server location on the African continent and two in South America. Asia is relatively well represented, but we’d like to see PrivadoVPN generally invest in more locations going forward.

PrivadoVPN Server List on Android

PrivadoVPN’s server network is small compared to the competition.

PrivadoVPN’s server network is nowhere near the size of networks offered by top-ranking VPNs.

ExpressVPN scores 9.9 in our server evaluation because it has lots of servers spread across 100 countries, including a much greater focus on often-neglected regions like Africa and the Middle East.

Small Network of Physical Servers

One of the reasons that PrivadoVPN has a small server network is that it is exclusively devoted to building an all-physical server network. This is more expensive, and it makes it much harder for PrivadoVPN to provide IP addresses in countries with less developed infrastructure.

There are some privacy benefits to choosing physical over virtual servers, but we are worried that, as the subscriber base grows, servers will become increasingly congested.

PrivadoVPN Free Offers 11 Free Countries

PrivadoVPN Free has a substantially smaller network compared to the paid version, but 11 countries is a lot when compared to other free VPNs like Hotspot Shield Free, Proton VPN Free, and Atlas VPN Free, which all have 3.

PrivadoVPN Free US Servers on Mobile.

PrivadoVPN Free comes with 4 US servers.

PrivadoVPN Free’s server network is refreshingly diverse. Alongside major European and North American countries, it has IP addresses for Argentina, Brazil, and India. It’s also the best free VPN for Mexico, and there are four city-level server choices in the United States.

Torrenting

Supports Torrenting

6.9/10
How is this calculated?

This rating is determined by the VPN’s torrenting speeds, the percentage of servers that allow P2P file sharing, the service’s privacy and trustworthiness, and useful settings like port forwarding.

For speed specifically, we calculate the VPN’s average download bitrate using our bespoke torrenting setup.

PrivadoVPN supports P2P file sharing on its entire server network, and a SOCKS5 proxy is included as a special feature for premium subscribers. This makes PrivadoVPN a suitable VPN for torrenting. However, its average download bitrate of 7.9MiB/s is slower than the competition and it doesn’t support port forwarding.

Ranked #24 out of 61 VPNs for Torrenting

Here is how PrivadoVPN performed in our torrenting tests:

Torrenting Attribute
PrivadoVPN Premium
PrivadoVPN Free
Avg Download Bitrate
7.9MiB/s
5.69MiB/s
No. of P2P Servers
322
14
Logging Policy
No Identifying Data
No Identifying Data
Kill Switch
Yes
Yes
Port Forwarding
No
No
SOCKS5
Yes
No

PrivadoVPN’s network supports P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing. Its entire network is optimized for P2P traffic, including its free servers.

We tested PrivadoVPN on torrent clients like qBittorrent and uTorrent to see how it performs.

Our results show a good average download bitrate of 7.9MiB/s, but you can download torrent files quicker with faster VPNs for torrenting.

Premium PrivadoVPN users also have access to a SOCKS5 proxy on every server. The SOCKS5 proxy is a favorite of torrenters as it can allow for faster speeds and greater anonymity. This feature is not available on PrivadoVPN Free, though.

Unfortunately, PrivadoVPN does not permit port forwarding on any of its servers, so you may not be able to seed files for fellow torrenters.

Overall, PrivadoVPN is a good but imperfect choice for torrenting; it’s average bitrate is fast and it doesn’t log sensitive data, but its kill switch isn’t available on iOS, and there is no port forwarding.

Security & Technical Features

Safe but Basic Security

6.5/10
How is this calculated?

A secure VPN must offer OpenVPN or WireGuard protocols, AES-256 encryption, and a working kill switch.

To calculate this rating, we also factor in additional security settings and features.

PrivadoVPN does the basics of VPN security well, so it’s safe to use. It uses industry-standard AES-256 encryption and it offers all the best protocols, including WireGuard. However, its kill switch isn't available on iOS, and compared to leading VPNs that are offering Double VPN, Onion over VPN, diskless RAM servers, and more, PrivadoVPN is lagging behind in additional features.

Ranked #32 out of 61 VPNs for Security & Technical Features

In the table below, you can see the security features that PrivadoVPN has:

ProtocolsAvailable in PrivadoVPN
IKEv2/IPSecYes
OpenVPN (TCP/UDP)Yes
WireGuardYes
EncryptionAvailable in PrivadoVPN
AES-128No
AES-192No
AES-256Yes
BlowfishNo
ChaCha20Yes
SecurityAvailable in PrivadoVPN
Diskless ServersNo
DNS Leak BlockingNo
First-party DNSNo
IPv6 Leak BlockingNo
Supports TCP Port 443No
VPN Kill SwitchYes
WebRTC Leak BlockingNo
Advanced FeaturesAvailable in PrivadoVPN
Ad BlockerYes
Dedicated IPNo
Double VPNNo
SOCKSYes
Split TunnelingNo
Static IPNo
Tor over VPN ServerNo
Tracker BlockerNo

Does PrivadoVPN Fully Encrypt Your Data?

To begin our security tests, we first checked whether PrivadoVPN actually encrypts your web traffic. We did this by running it through the packet-sniffing tool Wireshark.

As you can see in the screenshot below, PrivadoVPN successfully encrypted our web traffic, which means you can trust it to hide your browsing activity from your ISP.

PrivadoVPN Wireshark Encryption Test.

PrivadoVPN encrypted our internet traffic.

A Selection of Safe Connection Protocols

PrivadoVPN lets you choose between OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2 protocols. These are the leading protocols that we expect to see from any safe VPN.

PrivadoVPN uses IKEv2 by default, but we recommend changing this to WireGuard. However, WireGuard is not immediately available on the macOS app. It has to be manually authorized and installed, which is inconvenient and should be pre-installed.

If you’re a mac user, OpenVPN is the next best option.

PrivadoVPN Preferences Menu

WireGuard is not available on macOS.

Kill Switch Works, But Not on iOS

Continuing our security tests, we ran all of PrivadoVPN’s apps through our unique kill switch test tool to see if it prevents accidental IP address exposure.

Our tests show that the kill switch works perfectly on Windows, macOS, and Android. In prior tests, our real IP address was leaked whenever we switched servers, so we’re pleased to see that this has been fixed after we contacted PrivadoVPN about the issue.

However, there is no kill switch on the iOS app, so we caution against using PrivadoVPN on iPhone or iPad.

PrivadoVPN Kill Switch Test

PrivadoVPN’s kill switch works perfectly but is absent from iOS.

Overall, both PrivadoVPN versions are safe but short on additional features.

Security Features We’d Like to See

PrivadoVPN is safe, but it needs to add to its security suite in order to compete with top-tier VPNs. Here are some absent features that we’d like to see added:

  • Functional kill switch on macOS to prevent accidental data exposure.
  • Diskless RAM-only servers so that your data is never stored on physical hardware that can be retrieved.
  • First-party DNS servers so that PrivadoVPN handles your DNS requests itself and not your ISP.
  • Multi-hop servers for an additional layer of VPN security.

Bypassing Web Censorship

Does PrivadoVPN Work in China?

8.0/10
How is this calculated?

We routinely test if the VPN can bypass strict internet restrictions in China using our remote-access server in Shanghai.

Other important factors we consider include obfuscation technologies and the availability of servers in neighboring countries (for faster connections).

PrivadoVPN currently works to bypass The Great Firewall of China. However, without obfuscation technology, it's unclear how long this access will last. PrivadoVPN Free used to work in China, but it no longer does as of October 2024.

Ranked #9 out of 61 VPNs for Bypassing Web Censorship

We tested PrivadoVPN on our Shanghai server within China and found that it is able to get around The Great Firewall of China.

However, as you can see in the video below, connections within China took a very long time to establish. While we unblocked YouTube when connecting to the Taiwan server, it took over four minutes to get around Chinese website blocks (we have shortened the video).

PrivadoVPN currently works to get the free internet in China.

It’s unclear how long PrivadoVPN’s success in China will last, as it doesn’t have any obfuscation technology. Its current success is probably a result of its relative unpopularity and small user base. As PrivadoVPN gets more popular, it’s likely the Chinese authorities will identify and block it.

If that happens, Astrill VPN is a reliable alternative for China – it bypasses Chinese web blocks 100% of the time.

Does PrivadoVPN Free Work in China?

PrivadoVPN Free used to work in China, but since introducing the requirement for users to manually refresh data via its website each month, users in China cannot access more data as that web page is blocked in the country.

It’s rare that a free VPN works in China, so it’s a shame that the manual refresh requirement has unintentionally stopped people from accessing the global internet.

Price & Value

Overpriced Premium Plans, but a Great Free Version

5.0/10
How is this calculated?

While we do assign a ‘Price & Value’ rating, it doesn’t contribute to the Overall Rating. We believe the reader should decide what is or isn’t a reasonable price.

A good rating isn’t just based on how cheap the VPN is, but for the overall value it offers.

PrivadoVPN is a relatively good VPN, but its premium plans do not offer value for your money. It costs $3.99 on its best deal — which is cheaper than it used to be — but it’s still more expensive than the discount prices offered by superior VPNs like PIA, PrivateVPN, and Surfshark. For PrivadoVPN’s price, we’d like to see more technical features and more servers. PrivadoVPN’s free version is one of the best free VPNs available.

Ranked #30 out of 61 VPNs for Price & Value

PrivadoVPN has a free version and a premium version available in three payment plans. Here they are:

  1. Monthly

    $10.99/mo

    Billed $10.99 every 1 month
  2. 12 Month(s)

    $4.99/mo

    Billed $59.98 for the first 12 months
    Save 77%
  3. 2 Year(s)

    $3.99/mo

    Billed $47.88 for the first 24 months
    Save 82%

The two-year deal offers the best savings, but it’s still an expensive VPN, especially when considering that there are better and cheaper VPNs available.

If you’re looking to avoid a long-term commitment, we recommend Mullvad VPN, which has a price tag of $5.50 per month.

Payment & Refund Options

You can pay for a PrivadoVPN subscription via these methods:

  1. American Express
  2. Bitcoin
  3. Mastercard
  4. PayPal
  5. Visa

We’re pleased to see cryptocurrencies offered as a payment method as many privacy-conscious people use them for traceless transactions.

30-Day Refund Period

After you buy PrivadoVPN, you are entitled to a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee. This essentially means that you can get a month free if you decide to get your money back.

This is standard practice with most VPN providers, although CyberGhost has a 45-day refund guarantee.

PrivadoVPN Free

PrivadoVPN doesn’t offer a free trial of its premium version, but it does offer a 100% free version which is one of the best free VPNs you can get.

Its speeds are just as fast as the paid version, it supports P2P traffic, and it comes with a generous number of free servers — 10 countries in total. It’s also the best free VPN for watching US Netflix.

Most importantly, PrivadoVPN Free is safe. It doesn’t sell your data, there are no viruses, and it comes from a legitimate company.

The downside is a 10GB monthly data cap that severely restricts your torrenting, streaming, and browsing capacity.

Furthermore, unlike other free VPNs, PrivadoVPN forces you to login to your account and manually refresh your data each month. This is very frustrating.

To get PrivadoVPN Free you just need to provide an email address and download the software. No payment details are required.

Device & OS Compatibility

Available on Popular Devices Only

How is this rated?

A high-quality VPN should maintain functional, fully-featured applications and browser extensions for as many platforms and devices as possible.

Our ‘Device & OS Compatibility’ assessment contributes to the Ease of Use rating.

PrivadoVPN offers apps for most platforms, including major desktop and mobile devices, such as Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It allows for 10 simultaneous connections, which is a generous amount, and its Fire TV Stick has been fixed. However, there is no Smart DNS, and there are no browser extensions available. Manual router installation is technical and tricky.

PrivadoVPN Apps

PrivadoVPN has native apps for the following devices:

  1. Windows
  2. Mac
  3. iOS
  4. Android

There are manual setup guides on PrivadoVPN’s website if you want to set up the VPN on your home router or on Linux.

10 Simultaneous Connections

PrivadoVPN imposes a limit of 10 simultaneous connections. This should be more than enough for most users, enabling you to connect to every device you own, and it’s double what’s on offer from top-rated services like ExpressVPN.

However, other VPNs like Surfshark and IPVanish have abandoned device limits entirely.

Games Consoles & Streaming Devices

As PrivadoVPN can be manually installed on router, it’s technically possible to use it on devices that don’t permit VPN apps, such as:

  1. Apple TV
  2. Amazon Fire TV
  3. Android TV
  4. Chromecast
  5. Nintendo
  6. PlayStation
  7. Roku
  8. Smart TV
  9. Xbox

It’s a shame that PrivadoVPN doesn’t offer a Smart DNS tool, which makes it easier to stream geo-restricted content from smart devices without the use of a VPN.

Ease of Use

Approachable Design With Good User Experience

7.7/10
How is this calculated?

This rating mainly consists of the user-friendliness and intuitiveness of setting up and regularly using the VPN.

We also factor in customization settings, as well as device and OS compatibility (see section above).

PrivadoVPN has improved the design and user experience of its apps considerably. It continues to offer an approachable and streamlined service that makes it friendly for beginners and consistent across apps. However, advanced users will want more features and customization options, and certain features are reserved for Windows and Android devices.

Ranked #28 out of 61 VPNs for Ease of Use

The PrivadoVPN apps are identical across all devices – a home screen with a large connect button, a server list, and a settings menu that opens in a separate window.

We would like to see more VPNs imitate this level of consistency across apps, but PrivadoVPN should offer more customization options.

Here’s a more detailed analysis of our experience using PrivadoVPN’s apps:

Desktop & Laptop (Windows & macOS)

We’ve been using PrivadoVPN’s desktop apps since 2019 and have witnessed considerable improvements to the user experience and design — mainly fixing bugs and making it smoother.

It remains incredibly simple, and we appreciate that the kill switch toggle sits front and center (with a useful tooltip) on the home screen – highlighting its importance.

However, one design gripe we have is that the settings menu opens a new window, so the experience becomes less contained, your desktop more cluttered, and you have to manually close the window.

PrivadoVPN's apps for Windows and macOS

On macOS, we like the inclusion of a ‘dock to tray’ or ‘undock’ feature. This gives you the ability to drag and move the app or fix it to the tray, offering control over the PrivadoVPN experience.

However, you cannot manually resize the app, and the only other form of customization on macOS is an Auto Connect toggle.

On Windows, PrivadoVPN users can use split tunneling. This gives Windows users control to decide which apps and websites go through the VPN tunnel and which don’t. We’d like to see this included for macOS and iOS users, too.

Mobile (iPhone & Android)

PrivadoVPN on iOS is even more stripped back than the macOS version. The interface is identical, but there are even fewer settings. The only thing you can do is change protocol or turn on Auto Connect.

PrivadoVPN's apps for Android and iOS

The Android app is slightly more advanced, with a ‘Smart Route’ (split tunneling) tool and kill switch.

PrivadoVPN’s Fire TV Stick App Now Works

In previous tests, PrivadoVPN’s Fire TV Stick app was buggy and did not work. However, PrivadoVPN has updated and fixed its app, and it now functions well to unblock streaming services, including US Netflix.

PrivadoVPN's app for Fire TV Stick

In the video below, we use PrivadoVPN’s Chicago server to unblock and stream US Netflix on Firestick:

PrivadoVPN has fixed its Fire TV Stick app and it now streams US Netflix.

The app itself is simple and pleasing to the eye. In terms of functionality, we like that you can favorite servers, as this saves you having to click all the way down to the bottom of the server list each time.

Customer Support

Useful Live Chat, But It’s Not 24/7

6.0/10
How is this calculated?

This rating is based on our assessment of the VPN’s:

  • Live chat support
  • Email support
  • Online resources

Not every VPN offers all these support options, and they often vary in quality and response times.

PrivadoVPN has live chat support available that offers quick and useful replies. We’re pleased that PrivadoVPN doesn’t use chatbots and that this support is available to non-subscribers, too. However, live chat isn’t available 24/7 as advertised, and email support can take over 24 hours to reply. The help center is somewhat useful but doesn’t include any engaging videos.

Ranked #39 out of 61 VPNs for Customer Support

You can contact PrivadoVPN’s customer support team in the following ways:

Customer SupportAvailable in PrivadoVPNAvailable in PrivadoVPN Free
24/7 Email SupportNoNo
24/7 Live Chat SupportNoNo
ChatbotNoNo
EmailYesYes
Email Support via Online FormYesYes
Live Chat SupportYesYes
Online ResourcesYesYes
Tutorial VideosNoNo

PrivadoVPN has a live chat feature that it says is available 24/7. However, it’s actually available at unpredictable times. Sometimes we’ve sought help and received an answer instantly. Other times it has taken hours.

This was frustrating, so we used a ticket system on its website instead. We sent the ticket at 14:27 and got a response at 16:07 – nearly a two hour waiting window. The response was polite and helpful enough, though.

We’re pleased that PrivadoVPN’s live chat is available to everyone, whether you’re a subscriber or not. This is not always the case with VPN providers. However, we’d prefer it if you didn’t have to fill out your name, email, and category of enquiry before initiating the conversation.

PrivadoVPN Live Chat Support.

PrivadoVPN live chat forces you to fill out your name and email.

We found the live chat response to be fast and useful. However, the agent was too keen to end the conversation. By the time we had consulted their response via the provided link, they had ended the chat.

The website has some basic FAQs (mainly used to promote the service) and a few helpful setup guides, as well as some articles on general privacy, but it’s far behind the sort of comprehensive online help you get from a VPN like Astrill.